Weighing the Candidate Field

The and the City of Florissant partnered to host the mayoral candidate forum Wednesday with the hopes of educating residents about the six candidates.

It appears that mission was a success.

Florissant resident Grace Hercules said that the forum was wonderful and informative.

“It sure helped me to decide who I was going to vote for,” she said.

Amanda Eye, wife of Ward 6 city council candidate , said that she hasn’t completely decided who to vote for, but the forum did help.

“I was very indecisive about my vote before this,” she said. “This helped make my decision a little easier.”

Jennifer Koenig declined to say who she supports for mayor, but she did say one candidate impressed her during the meeting.

"I think he represented himself very well and swayed me on a few things," Koenig said. "It was definitely very informative."

Koenig said that although the meeting was well attended, she was disappointed that more young residents didn't attend.

Although Koenig wouldn’t say for sure who stood out for her, business owner Mike Moehlenkamp of said that candidate Mark Behlmann stood out. 

“He addressed people on a personal level,” he said.

Moehlenkamp said he’s not a registered voter in the Florissant area, but if he were, he would vote for Behlmann.

Mary Elizabeth Dorsey, an attorney who lives in Florissant, said she thought the League of Women Voters handled the forum well, asking a good mix of questions.

Her top three candidates from the forum, were Robert Garrett, Tom Schneider and Mark Behlmann. 

"I thought all three did well with the quality of their answers and the ability to explain issues the city has," she said.

Although several attendees had their top picks of candidates, others walked away simply with more information on the candidates. 

Elizabeth Bowling, a Florissant resident, said she came to the meeting not knowing who she was going to vote for. 

"I still have not decided how to vote, but I came away with more information and that's why I came. It achieved everything I wanted it to achieve," Bowling said.

Bowling also complimented the League of Women Voters on way the forum was handled.

She said it was a very useful to meeting for voters, "especially in what is a confusing, varied and large field of candidates," she said.